The Budapest Orchestra with Leonidas Kavacos, currently considered the world's best violinist , tomorrow 24th August in the Sala Argenta at 21:00

24/08/09.- A special offer is available for this concert- A second ticket can be bought with a discount of 50%.

As part of the Symphonic Cycle of the 58th Santander International Festival , the Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Ivan Fischer will perform on Tuesday 25th August featuring the world's current best violinist, Leonidas Kavakos. The programme will be : Sergei Prokofiev- Overture on Hebrew themes OP.34: Concerto for violin and orchestra No.2 BB 117 by Bela Bartok and Symphony No. 7 in D minor Op.70 by Antonin Dvorak. The concert is at 21.00 in the Sala Argenta

The Santander International Festival wishes to make this concert open to as many people as possible and is offering a second ticket at 50% off for all areas of the auditorium.

The Budapest Festival Orchestra was founded in 1983 by Ivan Fischer and Zoltan Kocsis with musicians coming from 'the very best of Hungary's young musicians' according to The Times, with the initial aim, following intensive rehearsal and demanding only the best from the musicians, to perform three or four concerts a year at important musical events in the Hungarian music scene, and to give Budapest a new internationally recognised Symphony Orchestra.

Renowned celebrities on the International music scene have peformed with the BFO sucha as Sir Georg Solti (who was honorary guest conductor until his death), Yehudi Menuhin, Kurt Sanderling, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Charles Dutoit, Gidon Kremer, Sándor Végh, András Schiff, Heinz Holliger, Agnes Baltsa, Ida Haendel, Martha Argerich, Hildegard Behrens, Yuri Bashmet, Rudolf Barshai, Kiri te Kanawa, Radu Lupu, Thomas Zehetmair, Vadim Repin, Helen Donath, Maria-Joao Pires, and Richard Goode, to name but a few.


Leonidas Kavakos is a violonist and artist of exceptional quality, known for his virtuosity, magnificent musicality and the integrity of his interpretations. He was still a teenager when he received international acclaim. He won the Sibelius competition in 1985 and the Paganini Competition in 1988, successes which led him to be invited by orchestras from all over Europe, North America and the Far East.

Kavakos plays with the best orchestras and alongside the best conductors, and participates regularly at the best International festivals with invited orchestras, performing chamber music or recitals.

Ivan Fischer is held to be one of the most visionary and successful orchestra conductors in the world. He has reached this position thanks to his intensive touring and hit recordings for Philips Classics and Channel Classics. He has developed and introduced new forms of concerts ?cocoa concerts? for kids, ?surprise? concerts in which the programme was never advertised , ?one forint concerts? in which he spoke to the audience, open air concerts with audiences of 10,000 in Budapest, as well as opera concerts in which he introduced elements of stagecraft and scenery.